House Bill 422 – This bill states that a dog may not be declared potentially dangerous based solely on the dog’s “breed, type or heritage” and prohibits counties and municipalities from enacting laws prohibiting ownership of specific breeds. A recent amendment removed a provision in the original bill that would have prohibited landlords from denying occupancy based on breed. However, the bill does not prohibit landlords from restricting ownership of all dogs or of dogs declared dangerous under Maryland law. The AKC and Maryland Dog Federation both support this bill.

House Bill 665 – This bill as introduced would have allowed veterinarians to perform ear cropping, tail docking, dewclaw removal or surgical births and require that they use anesthesia. The AKC expressed concerns that this would not be in the best interest of dogs, as tail docking is often done when puppies are too young for anesthesia. To address these concerns, the bill was amended to state that anesthesia would only be required “when appropriate.” All these procedures must still be performed by a licensed veterinarian.

House Bill 667 – This bill only allows debarking if it is medically necessary to treat an illness, injury or defect that is causing the animal harm or pain. A veterinarian would be required to provide a written certification that includes supporting diagnosis and findings as to why the procedure was necessary.

There is much misinformation about the veterinary surgical procedure of debarking. Debarking is a viable veterinary procedure that may allow a dog owner to keep a dog in its loving home rather than to be forced toeuthanize or surrender it to a shelter when the pet's noisy behavior continually disrupts the community. Debarking should only be performed under anesthesia by a qualified veterinarian after behavioral modification efforts to correct a dog’s excessive barking have failed. As with other veterinary medical decisions, the decision to debark a dog is best left to individual owners and their veterinarians.